Reversible socks and method of making them



June 19, 1962 w. HAYES REVERSIBLE SOCKS AND METHOD OF MAKING THEM Filed March 12, 1959 INVENTOR WALLACE HAYES HIS ATTORNEYS United States of Tennessee Filed Mar. 12, 1959, Ser. No. 798,929 4 Claims. (61. 66-178) This invention relates to improvements in hosiery, and it relates particularly to improvements in sport socks of the type commonly referred to as bobby socks.

Sport or bobby socks usually have been made without external ornamentation thereon except a ribbed or other stitch pattern in the leg-covering portion. Such socks are normally worn in a folded-over or rolled condition and in this condition any pattern which is formed in the right side of the leg-covering portion of the socks is wrong side out when the socks are folded. Thus, there is no advantage in knitting a pattern right side out in the leg-covering portion of the sock and it is impractical to knit a design with its right side in the wrong side of the leg-covering portion for the reason that the cost would be prohibitive. Accordingly, it is customary to form the socks in an unornamented condition relying primarily on the stitch formation for ornamentation.

In accordance with the present invention sport or bobby socks and a method of making such socks are provided, wherbey almost any desired ornamental pattern can be formed in the sock and when the sock is worn in a folded condition, the pattern will be displayed in a right side out condition. More particularly, the sock is made on ordinary knitting machinery but is handled in a different than normal series of steps in the various manufacturing and finishing stages, whereby the socks are packaged and distributed with the leg covering portion thereof folded or triple rolled, so that the right side of the leg-covering portion of the sock is displayed in a right side out condition, while the footcovering portion is in a wrong side out condition. In this way, when the sock is placed on the foot with the legcovering portion rolled or folded in the conventional single or triple fold, the pattern in the sock is shown in a right side out condition with the stitches of the legcovering portion also in a right side out condition. The seam or seams in the foot covering portion of the sock which are necessary to finish or close the toe opening of the sock are arranged in the conventional way with the wrong side of the seam properly in the inside of the sock while the foot covering portion is wrongside out when the sock is placed on the foot.

For a better understanding of the present invention reference may be had to the accompanying drawings, in which :FIGURE 1 is a side elevational View of a typical sock made on conventional knitting machinery and shown in the form in which it is removed from the knitting machine;

FIGURE 2 is a side elevational view of the sock illustrating the shape of the foot covering portion of the sock after the toe has been closed by a conventional looping or sewing operation;

FIGURE 3 is a side elevational view of the sock showing it in a wrong side out condition with the toe closing seam disposed on the inside; and

FIGURE 4 is a side elevational view of the sock showing it with the leg-covering portion folded as normally worn.

Sport or bobby socks are made by amethod which is practiced throughout the industry. The sock is knitted on a conventional circular knitting machine in a right side out condition. It is turned wrong side out by the knitter G "ice 3,039,282 Patented June 19, 1962 when the hose drops from the knitting machine. The wrong side out socks with an opening in the toe thereof are delivered to the looping department where the toe opening is closed by a looping operation so that the looping seam and sewing thread are on the wrong side of the sock. By this arrangement, when the sock is subsequently turned right side out, the looping seam and sewing thread are on the inside of the sock. After looping the toe seam, the hose is examined in the inspecting and turning department in a right side out condition and are subsequently boarded, and subjected to conventional finishing operations including trimming, pairing, pin-ticketing, folding, banding and boxing or packaging.

My new process involves somewhat similar steps but the sequence of steps is altered in order to change the relation of elemnts of the stock. Thus, as shown in FIGURE 1 of the drawing, a sock 10 is knitted on a knitting machine and when the hose drops from the knitting machine it is in a right side out condition and has an opening 11 in the toe thereof. It will be understood that the heel and toe portion are appropriately shaped by means of lines of knitting 12 and 13 in the usual way. It will also be noted that the foot covering portion 14 may be and usually will be formed with a relatively fine stitch and, in the case of the use of stretchable yarn, there is little noticeable difference between the right side i.e., the outside of the sock as knitted and the wrong side i.e., the inside of the sock as knitted. However, the leg covering portion 15 of the sock may be formed as is usual with a different stitch to produce a ribbed or other ornamental eflect. With such stitches, the appearance of its right side is distinctively different from its wrong side. During the knitting operation, a suitable pattern such as that formed by the different colored bands 16 of yarn may be formed in the sock so that the right side of the bands is on the right side of the leg covering portion 15. Sock :10 is then transferred to the looping department where, in a right side out condition as illustrated in FIGURE 2, the toe opening 11 is closed by means of a conventional looping operation which forms the wrong side of looping seam 17 on the outside or right side of the foot covering portion 14. In order to place the seam 17 in its proper relation to the sock 10, it is turned wrong side out as illustrated in FIGURE 3. This disposes the wrong side of the leg covering portion outside and exposes the loose ends \18 of the yarns. Inasmuch as the pattern in the foot covering portion 14 is essentially the same on the wrong and right sides thereof, the effect of turning the sock inside out is to place the foot covering portion 14 actually in a wrong side out condition, although from the standpoint of appearance, taking into consideration the seam 17, the foot covering portion can be considered to be right side out. The pattern formed, for example, by the stripes 16 is, of course, wrong side out and has the expected undesirable appearance which has prevented the use of patterns in sport or hobby socks heretofore.

With the sock 10 in the condition shown in FIGURE 3, the loose ends 18 are trimmed and the socks subjected to the customary finishing operations. These operations include boarding or pressing the socks, inspecting them, pairing, trimming and transferring. After transferring, the socks are folded or triple rolled so that the leg-covering portion is right side out as shown in FIGURE 4. Any

subsequent processing operations such as ticketing, folding, banding and packaging or boxing or any selected finishing operations of the group mentioned are done the sock essentially in the condition shown in FIGURE 4. When the wearer puts the sock on her foot, the folded over portion of the leg-covering portion 15 with the design or pattern i.e., the bands 16 is displayed in a right side out condition.

The new process enables almost any pattern to be formed in the leg-covering portion and, when worn in a folded condition, the right side of the pattern is exposed on the outside of the sock. Even if the sock is to be worn in an unfolded condition, the right side of the legcovering portion can be disposed outside by turning the sock right side out. In this condition the only por tion of the sock which is Wrong side out is the seam 1'7 in the foot covering portion.

It will be understood, of course, that socks of the type embodying the present invention may be formed of many different kinds of yarns and in many different patterns, or designs made by regular knitting or by tuck stitch or terry stitch method. Therefore, the form of the invention disclosed herein should be considered as illustrative and not as limiting the scope of the following claims.

I claim:

1. A sport sock comprising a foot covering portion and a leg covering portion, said portions having a right side and a wrong side, said foot covering portion having a toe seam with a right side and a wrong side, said seam having its right side on the wrong side of said foot covering portion and said Wrong sides of said foot and leg covering portions being on the outside of said sock when the right side of said seam is on the outside of said sock.

2. The sport sock set forth in claim 1 in which said leg covering portion has a decorative stitch different than the stitch in said foot covering portion, said leg portion stitch having distinctively different right and Wrong sides and the right and Wrong sides of said stitch in said foot covering portion having substantially the same appearance.

3. A method of making a sport sock comprising knitting right side out a foot covering portion with an open toe and a leg covering portion of a sock, closing the open toe of said sock with said .sock right side out and with a seam having its wrong side on the outside of said sock, turning the sock inside out, boarding the sock With the wrong side thereof outside, and finishing said sock with its foot covering portion in a wrong side out condition.

4. The method set forth in claim 3 in which the foot covering portion is knitted with a stitch having substantially the same Wrong and right side appearances, and the leg covering portion is knitted with a stitch having distinctively different wrong and right side appearances.

References Qited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,747,389 Saunders May 29, 1956 

